Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Mass Communication Joint Degree Program

The faculties of the College of Law and the College of Journalism and Communications have approved a joint degree program culminating in both a Juris Doctor degree, awarded by the College of Law, and a Master of Arts in Mass Communication degree, awarded by the College of Journalism and Communications. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately a year less time than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. Essential criteria relating to the joint degree program are as follows.

Candidates for the program must meet the entrance requirements and follow the entrance procedures for both colleges, and they must be accepted by both colleges. Applicants must submit scores on both the LSAT and the GRE. Both colleges must be informed by the student at the time of application to the second program that he or she intends to pursue the joint degree program. Students are encouraged to announce their intent of seeking a joint degree as soon as possible.

The joint degree program is not open to students who have already earned one of the two degrees.

Admission to the second program can occur as late as two semesters prior to graduation from the first program. A summer term is counted as a single semester.

A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree. Certain courses may be used in partial satisfaction of the requirements of both degrees. The Graduate Division of the College of Journalism and Communications will allow eleven (11) credits of appropriate law courses to be credited toward the MAMC and JD degrees. The 11 credits selected from the law curriculum requires the approval of the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies upon the recommendation of the student’s graduate supervisory committee. Reciprocally, law students may receive toward the satisfaction of the JD degree requirements not more than thirteen (13) semester credits for courses taken in the graduate curriculum of the College of Journalism and Communications. Two (2) of these courses, not more than a total of six (6) semester credits, will be treated as the two (2) graduate courses ordinarily allowed to be taken outside of the College of Law for credit toward law school graduation. Only three (3) credits of the four (4) – credit communications courses will be applied to the law degree. Students in the joint program must pursue a thesis degree in mass communication. Thesis credits may not be counted in the thirteen (13) credits of the College of Journalism and Communications courses that may be applied toward satisfaction of the JD requirements.

A student enrolled in the joint degree program may spend the first year in either the College of Law or the College of Journalism and Communications. Students admitted to one college but electing to spend the first academic year in the other college under the joint degree program may enter the second college thereafter without once again qualifying for admission so long as they have notified the second college before the end of the first week of the semester in the joint degree program and are in good academic standing when the studies commence in the second college. Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning in the fall semester must register for a course or courses in the second college no later than the beginning of the fourth (4th) semester including the summer term as a semester. Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning law school in the spring semester must commence study in the College of Journalism and Communications no later than the fifth (5th) semester. Students must carry the minimum number of credits required by either college.

College of Journalism and Communication courses which are to be credited toward the JD degree must carry a grade of “B” or better and will not be counted in the College of Law GPA (grade point average). College of Law courses which are to be credited toward the MAMC degree must carry a grade of “C” or better and will not be counted in the GPA at the College of Journalism and Communications.

Students enrolled in the Joint Degree program must complete the College of Law’s advanced writing requirement. An approved master’s thesis in mass communication will satisfy the advanced writing requirement of the College of Law if so certified by a law school faculty member.

A student enrolled in the joint degree program will not receive either degree until he or she has satisfied all of the requirements for both degrees, or until he or she has satisfied the requirements of one of the degrees as if he or she had not been a joint degree candidate.

Students who enroll in the joint degree program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the College of Law degree under the graduate level course option for a maximum of two (2) courses, not to exceed six (6) semester credits, taken from the graduate curriculum of the College of Journalism and Communications. Although the grade is not computed in the student’s GPA, a grade of “B” or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for the course.

Students in the joint program will be eligible for the graduate teaching assistantships and research assistantships in the College of Journalism and Communications on the same basis as other mass communication graduate students, subject to the guidelines and restrictions set by the College of Journalism and Communications. However, in those semesters in which students are enrolled in law courses only, the University of Florida Graduate School does not allow students to hold assistantships in our college.

To the fullest extent possible given the availability and consent of appropriate law faculty, the student’s graduate supervisory committee should be comprised of two (2) mass communications graduate faculty members and one (1) law graduate faculty member.